Thursday, 20 September 2012 | Andi Sporkin Washington, DC; September 20, 2012 — The Association of American Publishers, the national trade association for the US book and journal publishing industry, today recognized the release of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus 2012 Country Watch List and applauded IAPC’s work to promote improved protection and enforcement of creative industries’ intellectual property rights with key US trading partners. IAPC is chaired by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) and Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Adam B. Schiff (D-CA). “The AAP thanks Senators Whitehouse and Hatch, Representatives Goodlatte and Schiff and all Caucus members for their commitment to upholding the rights of American content creators and for acknowledging our industries’ contributions to the economy and the fabric of global culture,” said Tom Allen, President and CEO, AAP. “Every sector of the US publishing industry is affected by physical and digital piracy, with Canada and China among our greater concerns. It is imperative that those who learn, enjoy and value US published works recognize that threats to intellectual property rights will divert publishers’ investments in content and innovation.” The annual IAPC Country Watch List names five countries where the lack of adequate and effective protections and enforcement continue to harm US copyright holders and the US economy. The 2012 report named China, Russia, Italy, Switzerland and Ukraine and detailed steps each country must take to better protect IP. It mentioned Spain and Canada, included on past watch lists, as having made some progress. Canada, however, poses significant problems for the publishing industry. While the country’s recently-enacted Copyright Modernization Act brings it closer to prevailing international copyright norms, the Act includes a number of new exceptions that raise questions about compliance with those norms. While the industry also saw some positive developments in China, there remains concern that commercial entities there persist in the unauthorized distribution of US-published scientific, technical and medical journal articles. AAP joined IAPC in acknowledging the creation of best practices principles by US-based digital advertising associations aimed at improving protection of IP rights. Released in June by the Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agencies, these standards are designed to help their members avoid advertising buys on websites dedicated to online piracy and counterfeiting. About the Association of American Publishers The 300 members of AAP are building the future of publishing. AAP represents America’s premier creators of high-quality entertainment, education, scientific and professional published content. We dedicate the creative, intellectual, financial and technological investments to bring great ideas to life and deliver content to the world’s audiences in all the ways they seek it. Contact: Andi Sporkin, asporkin@publishers.org and 202-220-4554 | 